Pep Talk
by DancingKirby
Summary: Aki is feeling unsure of herself, so Crow cheers her up in his own unique style.


A/N: This is an edited and slightly prettied-up version of a kink-meme fill I did. The person who requested it wanted something adorable about Crow giving Aki's ego a boost. And s/he seemed to appreciate this when I posted it!

* * *

><p>Crow couldn't keep his silence for much longer. Something was bothering Aki. She had been so quiet throughout this afternoon. Oh, she hadn't been <em>rude<em>, but she'd let Crow lead the conversation without throwing in many of her own opinions. This was very unlike her. Therefore, Crow vowed to get to the bottom of this.

They were sitting in the living room of the apartment (Jack was out; probably spending all their money at the cafe, and Yusei and Bruno would be working in the garage for at least a few more hours). Crow supposed that technically this could be called a "date," because both of them preferred just hanging out together over traditionally romantic activities. Unfortunately, their talking had ceased altogether for several minutes.

Then Crow asked loudly and abruptly, "Okay, so are you going to tell me what's on your mind or not?"

Aki, who had been absorbed in tracing the pattern on the carpet, almost jumped out of her skin. When she had recovered, she muttered, "Oh, it's nothing important."

"Bullshit. I'm not even that smart and I can tell you're upset over something!"

If Aki truly didn't want to discuss it, Crow realized that, however unwillingly, he would have to let matters rest. Fortunately, although she was embarrassed, she did seem a bit relieved that he had brought it up.

"Well," she started, "I still...feel weird at school."

Crow's eyes narrowed.

"Are they bullying you?"

"No! No...it's not that bad. Like I said...it's not too important. I just...feel like I don't fit in."

She took a breath. Now her words were speeding up, like she'd been holding them all in right below the surface.

"I mean, I've made some friends, but I can't relate to them much. They're into all the latest fashions and music, and I listen, but then _they_ never want to talk about Riding Duels! And yesterday, we were talking about our plans for after we graduate, and I said I was thinking about going to medical school, and they just...stared at me!"

After this outburst, Aki looked back down at her lap and mumbled, "Sorry."

"Oi, don't apologize!" Crow exclaimed, "You're allowed to think whatever you want! And you wanna know what _I_ think?"

"What?"

"Fuck them."

Aki squeaked.

"Crow, you should be ashamed of yourself! That's not a nice thing to say!"

"Well, I ain't always a nice person. I call it as I see it. And the way I see it now is, they don't appreciate you for who you are. You've been through things they couldn't even dream of, and you lived past that and you were able to get your life back because you're so strong! And if they can't see that, then too fucking bad for them."

Aki's entire face was nearly the same color as her hair by now. She'd known Divine's flattery and Yusei's quiet acceptance, but Crow cut right to the heart of the matter. And to be honest, it was making her feel rather aroused.

She moved from her spot on the floor to the sofa, crossed her legs, and asked timidly, "So you don't think the part about medical school is wrong for a girl to want?"

"Hell no! Look, I grew up with Martha, right? And she was a...well, technically she was a nurse, but she had to fill in for Dr. Schmidt a lot when he was busy. And she was as good at the job as he was...sometimes even better. So if being a doctor's your goal, don't let a little thing like that stop you, hm?"

Aki looked up at him.

"Thank you. I guess I needed to hear that," she admitted.

Crow smirked a bit and replied, "Any time!"

For some reason, that smirk was what finally broke Aki's self-control. She walked towards Crow-actually, "lunged at him" might be a better way to describe it-and started kissing him deeply. He had no objections to this, and before long they had moved to the sofa while still kissing and laid down on it, limbs entwined. It was obvious to both of them where this was leading.

After several minutes, Crow finally broke off the kiss to ask, "This okay with you?"

It wouldn't be their first time; they'd done it twice before. But both of those occasions had been at least somewhat planned in advance. Now, they weren't even going to take a shower first...how _scandalous_! It would be quick and dirty...yet Aki found the idea strangely appealing. So she took a deep breath and gave her assent in a quiet yet steady voice.

"Okay then...I'll be right back!" said Crow happily. He untangled himself for Aki and dashed off, and the latter barely had time to wonder what he was doing before he ran back, brandishing a box of condoms.

"I thought Jack might have some of these!" he proclaimed triumphantly. Aki decided she wouldn't inquire further. As it turned out, the condom was slightly too large for Crow, but it would have to do.

The whole thing took maybe five minutes to finish. They didn't even bother removing more clothing than was absolutely necessary. Crow moved at a frantic pace, though it was obvious that he was trying to hold himself back so Aki could reach orgasm first. Luckily, she was able to do that very quickly...later she'd decide that it had been a new record for her. Only about thirty seconds after that, Crow gasped and finished as well.

Afterwards, they took some time to catch their breath, and it was only then that Aki grew aware that even with the condom, they'd made a bit of a mess. Neither of them had thought to get a towel to cover the sofa.

Crow saw her looking at the spot, and assured her, "Don't worry...I'll get that cleaned up." And so he did, despite Aki's protests that she should be helping him.

Once that was accomplished, there was another awkward silence that Crow again took it upon himself to break.

"So!" he stated, "If this is what'll happen, I guess I'll have to give you pep talks more often, huh?"

Aki smiled and answered, "Yes, I suppose so."

Then they realized that it was getting to be evening, and Aki's parents would expect her home for dinner. Aki straightened herself up while Crow gathered her belongings.

As she was opening the door, Crow exclaimed, "Wait, there's one more thing!"

"What is it?"

Crow's expression grew serious as he told Aki, "Now remember, all that stuff I said was true. You're a great person, and don't you forget it."


End file.
